Sustainable In Time: Bamboo timepieces by The Fourth Gentleman

Today’s post is sponsored by The Fourth Gentleman as a paid marketing collaboration through the Ethical Writers’ Coalition. The Fourth Gentleman sell sustainable sunglasses and watches using bamboo and cork leather. Sponsored partnerships with brands like this help me to meet the cost of running this blog, and enable me to continue bringing you great content for free. I only partner with brands that align with the ethos of this blog and meet strict requirements with sustainability, and that think that you would want to hear about. Thanks to the The Fourth Gentleman for their financial support for this post. I was also gifted the watch for the purposes of this review.

I’ve been wanting a watch for quite some time now. Watches have fallen out of favour since we all have our phones on us, almost 24-7. But I’ve noticed that when I grab my phone to check the time, I inevitably end up being distracted by social media, or email and I fritter away 10 or 15 minutes before I catch myself. So I decided that wearing a watch would be a useful (and stylish) way to be less distracted by my phone and more intentional with my time.

When I was asked to review one of The Fourth Gentleman’s lovely products, I had my solution. A chic sustainable timepiece that immediately caught my eye. The brand’s collection is fairly minimalist, carrying just two styles of watch- one more feminine style watch and one more masculine style. But honestly, I think both the women’s watch and the men’s watch could be unisex, depending on your style preferences. The style I have chosen for myself is the women’s watch, pictured in this post.

The watch face is made from bamboo and glass. Whilst I have previously written that bamboo as a textile is not really a sustainable textile, this mustn’t be confused with bamboo as a wood product. Bamboo is a fast growing crop that doesn’t require chemical fertilisers or pesticides, which can be grow on marginal land (so it doesn’t compete with food crops) and is rain-fed (so it doesn’t remove water from important waterways in order to grow commercially). All of these features mean that bamboo is a highly sustainable (and naturally biodegradable) material to use to make watches. The face of women’s watch includes a simple design that pay homage to this wonderful natural material.

I have been wearing my watch for a month now, and have already had quite a few comments on how attractive it looks. I am delighted to have chose it as my sustainable time piece option.

If you aren’t in the market for a watch at present, you might also enjoy The Fourth Gentleman’s range of chic modern sunglasses, also made with sustainable materials. The range includes about 17, mostly unisex designs, some of which you can see pictured below. A particular favourite style of mine is the Komodo sunglasses.

Photo Credit: The Fourth Gentleman

The name, The Fourth Gentleman is a reference to Chinese art, in which the four key plants that featured in Chinese painting are referred to as the four gentleman. The fourth of these is bamboo, which in Chinese artistic traditional represents humility, integrity, strength, open-mindedness and tolerance. The company was founded by a couple in the US, who wanted to a way to earn money whilst pursuing their philanthropic aims. To this end, The Fourth Gentleman donate funds to plant two trees for every pair of sunglasses sold.

With an appreciation for Chinese art and culture, and a love of sustainable fashion that has a philanthropic aim, I couldn’t have found a sustainable timepiece that more closely aligns to my interests and ethos. What a great way for me to be more intentional and sustainable with my time.

Do keep them in mind when you are next looking for sunglasses or a watch.

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My name is Summer. I am sustainable living advocate, self-taught textiles artist and I am deeply committed to the work of social change. I am the founder of tortoise & lady grey, and the founder and principal story-teller at Social Impact Stories. I have a decade of experience in working with social change projects, and I wholeheartedly believe in the capacity of the human race to work together for the greater good. I know that small individual acts have the potential to add up to widespread systemic transformation. Inspiring others with this message is my contribution to the fight for climate justice.